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Ohio State sets new enrollment records - 10/19/09

The Ohio State University has set new records this fall – in the size, quality and diversity of its student body.

There are new records in the number of students attending the Columbus campus and several regional campuses. New autumn quarter enrollment figures show a 2.7 percent increase in Ohio State enrollment, with a record 63,217 students on all campuses and a record 55,014 on the Columbus campus – a 2.4 percent increase.

Regional campus enrollment also set a new record with more than 8,200 students – up 4.5 percent. New enrollment records were set at Ohio State's campuses in Lima, Mansfield, Marion and Newark.

Across all campuses, there are a record 49,915 undergraduates including 9,510 new first-year students.

Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee says while many colleges have reduced the size of their freshman class, Ohio State has done the opposite, providing more students than ever access to higher education.

"Thanks to remarkably strong bi-partisan support for higher education at the state level, the University has been able to open its doors wider to greater numbers of well-prepared students, including 500 more Ohioans in our freshman class," said President E. Gordon Gee. "Assuring that talented young people can pursue their educational aspirations and improve their communities is very fully a part of our founding mission."

On Ohio State's Columbus campus, there are 6,607 first-year students – a 9.4 percent increase over last autumn. The class set records in average ACT (27.5) and SAT (1230) scores. It also set new records in out-of-state enrollment (up 3.7 percent to 906) and international students (up 15.8 percent to 271). Students of color accounted for 15 percent of the freshman class.

Other enrollment highlights:

• Ohio State students come from all 88 counties in Ohio, all 50 states and 118 countries. Approximately 81 percent (51,475) students are from Ohio. Nearly 12 percent (7,504) are from other states, territories or are U.S. students from foreign countries.

• Across all campuses, new records were set in the number of out-of-state undergraduate and graduate students. Out-of-state undergraduates increased 8.7 percent to 5,497 and out-of-state graduate and professional students increased by 3.3 percent to 4,984.

• Enrollment of international students increased seven percent to 4,238, with the highest numbers coming from the People's Republic of China (1,411), Republic of Korea (706), India (700), Taiwan (216) and Canada (106). International students comprise about seven percent of the student body.

• Diversity across Ohio State increased, with students of color accounting 14 percent of the total university enrollment. For the third consecutive year, there was a record high enrollment of Hispanic students (1,584). There were also record high enrollments of Asian or Pacific Islander students (3,108). Enrollment of African American students increased 2.1 percent with 3,934 students, and enrollment of American Indian/Alaskan Native students remained nearly steady at 225.

• Ohio State is one of the few schools with more men than women. In Columbus, 51.9 percent (28,528) are men; 48.1 percent (26,486) are women. Across the university, the gender breakdown is 51.1 percent men and 48.9 percent women.

• Despite the conventional wisdom that predicts an increase of graduate and professional students in an economic downturn, enrollment in both categories remained nearly steady at Ohio State. Graduate school enrollment increased by 2 percent (10,741).

• Among the nation's largest universities, enrollment at Ohio State's Columbus campus is surpassed only by Arizona State University at Tempe (55,552). Rounding out the top four are the University of Minnesota at Twin Cities (51,659) and the University of Florida at Gainesville (49,679).